Scripture
“For then I will give to the peoples purified lips,
That all of them may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
Zephaniah 3:16 NASB
Observation
Who, being a believer, doesn’t want purified lips, to be made right with the Lord? Who wouldn’t want to call on the name of the Lord and serve Him?
The problem is getting there!
The verses right before verse 16, discuss God’s wrath and His indignation that is going to be poured out!
You see, because we are so stubborn, God needs to deal with our sin and selfishness. His judgement comes for the express purpose to get us to turn our eyes back to Him. He wants us to know that we can’t do it without Him.
When we turn back, when we get right, we have the benefit of calling out to Him, serving Him and being made right in His sight.
Application
Are there things that are causing you grief in your life right now? Maybe, God is trying to get your attention! Maybe, you are being so stubborn to the things of God, that He is sending you some trouble to get you to focus and rely on Him!
If you don’t know, or you’re not sure, you can try Him. How? Spend more time with Him. Don’t be a weekend Christian. That isn’t even Biblical!
Instead, turn off the TV, silence distractions and spend time in His Word and in prayer. Watch a few sermons on YouTube. Listen to some podcasts. Put on some worship music and praise Him. Don’t neglect church! Do this for a while and see what happens!
God wants you more than you realize! He will draw near to you when you draw near to Him.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that you care so much for us, that you send us situations in our life that cause us to turn to You. Help us not to be stubborn and selfish. Help us to know that the best place for us is right in the center of Your presence.
Peace
Todd